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On the 4th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act into law, new information released recently by the Department of Health and Human Services shows that millions of seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare continue to enjoy lower costs on prescription drugs and improved benefits in 2013, thanks to the health care law.

Since enactment of the Affordable Care Act, 7.9 million seniors and people with disabilities have saved $9.9 billion on prescription drugs, or an average of $1,265 per beneficiary. In 2013 alone, 4.3 million seniors and people with disabilities saved $3.9 billion, or an average of $911 per beneficiary.

These figures are higher than in 2012, when 3.5 million beneficiaries saved $2.5 billion, for an average of $706 per beneficiary.

Use of preventive services has also expanded among people with Medicare. In 2013, an estimated 37.2 million people with Medicare took advantage of at least one preventive service with no cost sharing, including an estimated 26.5 million people with traditional Medicare, and more than 4 million who took advantage of the Annual Wellness Visit.

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